Guide Perigord_version anglaise

©Titia Carrizey-Jasick

Michel Léger, Owner of the “Gabares Norbert” boat company

“La Roque-Gageac is a wonderful alliance of rock and water: we are very lucky to work in such magnificent surroundings. I am extremely attached to the family business, as a means of passing on the history of the river and its boatmen but also the story of the people who have lived here. Le Roque- Gageac was once a riverboat harbour and trading post and traces of this era can be found everywhere. On a riverboat excursion, we can approach and observe the wildlife on the water and on the riverbanks and discover an unspoilt ecosystem at the heart of the Dordogne watershed area, listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since July 2012.” “Pass on the history of the river”

© Bertrand Rieger

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Practically abandoned once the train arrived, inland navigation has played a major part in the history of the Dordogne Valley. A glimpse of the local boatmen’s lives on “La Rivière Espérance” (Hope River)—to quote the title of a Christian Signol’s novel adapted for television—lives on today, through hour-long cruises aboard boats that are perfect replicas of XVIIIth century flat-bottomed vessels. The more adventurous will paddle their way further upstream in canoes, through the meanders of the river C to discover other astonishing sites such as the “Pendoilles” (high curved cliffs that take a sheer drop into the water). Along the Mariner’s Trail

Standing out against the cliff at the very center of the village,Tarde Manor was the birthplace in 1561 of Jean Tarde. Chancellor and Vicar General of the diocese of Sarlat, he also died here in 1636.Tarde was an enlightened enthusiast of all sciences including astronomy.When the clergyman travelled to Italy to meet with Galileo, the astronomer gifted the Perigordian clergyman with one of the very first telescopic devices, in order to seal their friendship. The Galileo Connection

© Jean-Daniel Sudres

©Titia Carrizey-Jasick

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24+1 VILLAGES OF PÉRIGORD